Biblical Hebrew Forum

[banyai AT t-online.de]

Yigal Levin quoted from R.N.Ostling:


> > (There's also a third or "southern theory" promoted
> > by Tel Aviv
> > architect Tuviah Sagiv.)

I had the possibility to read the work of Tuviah Sagiv along with that of 
Kaufman and must say his theory is quite well founded. One must however spend 
quite a time for a painfull complicate demonstration of the fact, that the 
former level of the temple mount platform, before the roman destruction of 
the temple was lower than nowadays. 

There are clear archaeological / architectural details even escaping to 
Tuviah Sagiv, which bring further credibility to his thesis. So for example 
at the south-west corner of the temple mount exactly underneath the vault of 
the Robinson-arch there is a line of stones projecting to the exterior, which 
is structurally meaningless for an arch construction. Unless previous to the 
Robinson arch there was in this placement a lower access to the temple 
bridging the street not over an arch but according the trilitical 
construction system. An access at this much lower level, several meters 
underneath the present platform, would be in accord with Tuviah Sagiv´s 
theory.